SPOKANE, Wash. – Olin Carter III scored a game-high 21 points and San Diego gave No. 14 Gonzaga all it could handle but the Toreros came up short down the stretch and fell to the Bulldogs, 69-59, Saturday night in the McCarthey Athletic Center.

The Toreros (15-8, 6-5 WCC) made it a two-point game twice in the final five minutes but could not close the gap to complete the upset. Gonzaga (20-4, 10-1 WCC) outscored USD, 6-0, in the final two minutes to seal the decision.

Along with Carter III’s 21 points, Isaiah Pineiro added 13 and Isaiah Wright chipped in 12. Carter III did most of his damage from 3-point range, going 5 for 11, while Tyler Williams hit two of his three attempts.

Gonzaga flourished inside, outscoring the Toreros, 38-20, in the paint and logging a 24-7 margin in second-chance points. Still, USD held the Bulldogs to 41 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent from behind the arc.

The Toreros started well in a game that featured eight lead changes. Carter III recorded eight of the Toreros first 12 points to open the contest. Trailing 8-5, USD reeled off a 10-2 run to take a 15-10 lead with 13:40 to play in the first half.

With the Toreros up 20-19 at the 7:55 mark, the Bulldogs went on a 12-2 run over the next 4:10 to retake the lead, 31-20. Juwan Gray halted the rally with a midrange jumper at 3:26 and the Toreros went 5 for 5 from the free-throw line to cut its deficit to, 36-27, at halftime.

USD came out on fire in the second half, opening with a 13-2 run to retake the lead, 40-38, with 17:39 on the clock. Tyler Williams hit a pair of 3-pointers and Carter III added another to spark the rally.

However, the Bulldogs responded with an, 11-0, run to retake the lead, 49-40.

The Toreros would not go away and chipped away at the deficit. A 3-pointer by Carter III and a dunk by Pineiro cut the Bulldogs lead to, 51-45, with 8:18 to play. Another 3-pointer, this time by Pinero at 6:05, made it a one-point game, 51-50.

USD hit multiple clutch shots down the stretch to keep the game within reach but could not close to less than two points over the final five minutes.

The Toreros will look to bounce back Saturday at 6 p.m. PT when they play host to No. 13 Saint Mary’s.